Rapper Joe Budden rose through the mixtape circuit with his cocky bars and attitude, flirting with pop stardom before going on an independent run as a member of the supergroup Slaughterhouse. • Budden grew up in Jersey City and started rapping when he was sent to boarding school in North Carolina. Following a rehab stint and the birth of his first child, he leaned into his music career and started making mixtapes. • His biggest hit is the Just Blaze–produced 2003 single “Pump It Up”, which peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rap Solo Performance, and was featured on the soundtracks for 2 Fast 2 Furious and . • After getting dropped by Def Jam, Budden went independent to continue his acclaimed Mood Muzik mixtape series. • In 2008, he formed the supergroup Slaughterhouse with Joell Ortiz, Kxng Crooked and Royce da 5’9”. The group’s second album, 2012’s Welcome To: Our House, arrived on Eminem’s Shady Records and reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. • Budden retired from rapping in 2016 after dropping his eighth solo album, Rage & The Machine, but he’s maintained a huge presence as host of The Joe Budden Podcast. He’s been called “the Howard Stern of hip-hop” by The New York Times.